FTC expresses concern over Apple’s health data security

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The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has expressed concerns over Apple’s health security data and sought assurances regarding its privacy policies. The trade panel does not want the company t use the users’ health data without users consent or sell it to advertisers.

According to the report, the FTC officials were engaged with Apple representatives for seeking assurances and that it would not sell user health data to any third-parties. The company will work with the FTC and other regulators for framing stronger privacy policies as developers will use health data to develop apps for HealthKit. The HealthKit feature will also be available in Apple upcoming smartwatch.

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“We’ve been very encouraged by their support,” said Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller.

Apple stated that it is working with the FTC and other regulators worldwide regarding the usage of health data. The concerns were expressed by the FTC in a guiding manner without any complaints or charges against Apple. Recently, Snapchat and Yelp were pulled up by the commission for accidental collection of consumer data and terms of service. The privacy policies of health data will be closely watched as it is not protected by HIPAA Act, which monitors usage of private information of the people.

The company has assured that user’s health data will be encrypted on all devices and wont be shared with third-parties without the consent of the user. In May, FTC commissioner Julie Brill has expressed concerns over the use of health data that is collected via smartwatches and apps. Apple is also expected to appoint an in-house health privacy consultant. In August, Apple changes its HealthKit privacy policies where developers will not be able to sell to advertisers or third-parties. FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez expressed happiness over the steps taken by the company to maintain security.